On Going from Two to Three

It can be done, just ask anyone who has done it before...Mom, Dad.

What's funny is that two kids to one parent seems easier than three kids to two. Multiple dynamics going on here.

I think the hard part at this particular juncture, though, is the frailty of the newest addition. I've joked with Andrea about life with Nahum being like living with one arm tied in front of your back. But it is way harder than that, because it is more like living with one arm while juggling a glass ornament with the other. Everything is a potential hazard: stove, door jamb, other kids, counters, sharp objects, other kids...

So one parent tends to take Nahum and sit quietly while the other does the grunt work. The theory here is that this divides the battlefield, leaving one with a slam dunk -- holding a sleeping child -- while the other does what has been done for the past several months -- cook, clean, etc. while simultaneously monitoring the semi-autonomous activities of Timnah and Elias. But the older two, having little regard for our theories, exploit parental weakness where it can be found and their semi-autonomy creeps ever and ever closer to the other front. So the previous slam-dunk is now a dance of 3 to 1 odds. Being mindful to keep Timnah and Elias included in the "new" family arrangement and bonded with little Nahum, while trying desperately to prevent a fumble. The other parent is pretty much left just watching.

This is my perspective. What Andrea contends with while I am at work...I'll remain sympathetic, but I'd prefer not knowing first hand, at least not until the glass ornament has had a little more time to solidify.